


Trial by Stair

by Jetainia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adults not believing trans character, Blanket Permission, Gen, Trans Character, Trans Ginny Weasley, Trans support, percy is a good egg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27075586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jetainia/pseuds/Jetainia
Summary: Sometimes, a boy just needs to slide down some stairs to be believed.
Relationships: Ginny Weasley & Brothers
Comments: 2
Kudos: 95





	Trial by Stair

Ginny was huddled in her blankets, processing the upheaval her life had just experienced. Like so many other times, she had taken a cup of tea to her father while he was busy going over Muggle objects in his shed. There was nothing unusual about taking her dad a tea, and there was certainly nothing unusual about her father being utterly distracted by whatever Muggle object he was tinkering with.

"Thanks, son," her dad had said, and it was like a lightning bolt had struck Ginny then and there.

She'd been feeling increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin for a while without knowing why and now her dad had given her the answer without even realising there was a question. Ginny was a _son_ ; she wasn't a daughter. All her—his? Yeah, his—life, his mother had fussed over him as the only daughter in a family of six sons. His mother loved all her children, but Ginny knew he held a special place in her heart because he had been born female.

He didn't want to disappoint his mother.

His bedroom door slammed open and Fred burst in. "Ginny! Greatest sister in all the world, we need another player for Quidditch. You in?" He noticed that he was huddled in his blankets then and approached with less exuberance, kneeling at the side of his bed. "You okay?"

Ginny shrugged. His eyes were burning slightly now at the reminder that, to everyone else right now, he was a little sister and he'd have to tell them they were wrong.

Fred nodded to himself and got up. He moved over to the window, opened it, and yelled out, "Taking a break!" before returning to Ginny, budging him over so that he could lie down next to him. "Want a hug?"

Ginny absolutely loved his brother. He shuffled closer so that Fred could wrap his arms around Ginny's blanket cocoon and closed his eyes. Fred didn't say anything, he just hugged Ginny and ran a hand over the blankets that covered Ginny's back soothingly.

After a few minutes of hugging Ginny quietly asked, "Do you like me as a sister?"

"Course I do, Gin." Fred pulled his head back a little so he could look at him. "You're the best sister ever. There are no sisters in the world that could compare to you. You're like the Merlin of sisters."

Ginny could tell Fred would go on and stopped him. "What—what if I'm not?"

"Not my sister?" Fred checked and Ginny nodded. Fred shrugged and held him tighter. "You're still my family, one of my favourite family members in fact. Did something happen?"

"I'm a boy."

"You are the Merlin of brothers," Fred immediately said. "Even more than you were of sisters, because you've been hiding that you're my brother for so long." He kissed Ginny on the forehead. "I have six brothers," he said to himself, "that's awesome. Though it does mean me and George are going to have to work on Angelina, Alicia, and Katie even more now that we won't have a sister on the inside of the girl's dorms."

Ginny giggled, partly from relief and partly from Fred's leap to how future pranks would be affected by Ginny's revelation. " _You're_ the Merlin of brothers," he said, and Fred grinned at him.

"We should talk to Mum, get her to send a letter to Hogwarts asking to make sure you're put in the boy's dorms."

"After we crush the others in Quidditch," Ginny said, rolling off his bed and heading out to the backyard.

* * *

"Hey Mum? Can you send a letter to Hogwarts for me?" Ginny asked after dinner that night.

Molly flicked her wand at the dishes to make them start washing and drying themselves and smiled at Ginny. "Of course dear, what do you need to say?"

"I need to go into the boy's dorms."

Molly's smile dropped in confusion. "Whatever for? I know you love your brothers but even if you sleep in the boy's dorms, you'll be in a different room to them. Everyone's split into their years at Hogwarts."

"I know that, Mum." Ginny sighed. "I'm not a girl. I need to go to the boy's dorms because that's where I belong."

"Now dear," Molly's voice turned caring and she sat down next to Ginny, taking his hands. "I know you've always wanted to be a boy, but you aren't, and you can't just ask Hogwarts to put you with boys because you feel more comfortable around them. It'll be good for you to know more girls your age beyond Luna."

"Mum, I don't want to be with the boys because I _feel like it_. I want to be with them because I _am_ one. Fred accepted that straight away, why can't you?"

"Your brother will do anything to make you, his little sister, happy. All of your brothers will. But I can't send a letter to Hogwarts asking them to let a girl stay in the boy's dorms just because she doesn't want to spend time with other girls."

Ginny tore his hands from his mother's grip and stood up. "This isn't a joke, Mum! If you won't send a letter, I'll do it myself!"

He stormed off to his room, his mother calling for 'her' to come back. He ignored her completely. If she wasn't going to listen to him, he'd deal with everything himself.

Fred poked his head out of his room when Ginny stormed past. "Okay?" he asked.

"She doesn't believe me," Ginny managed to grit out.

"We'll help you write a letter, Gin," George called from inside the room. "Just because Mum doesn't take you seriously, doesn't mean Hogwarts won't."

Ginny almost burst out into sobs at the reassurance. He was _eleven_. He was prepared to deal with things himself, but he was so glad his brothers were there for him. Fred stepped back and gestured him into the twins' room. "I bet we can even rope Percy in to make it sound poncy and official," Fred said.

George was moving to the desk that sat under the window when he entered. Fred guided him to the bed and handed over the guinea pig plushie that always helped any Weasley feel better. Ginny hugged Cloves close to his chest and watched as his brothers found all the necessary items to write a letter. Then it was several minutes of hovering quill, started words, and scratched out sentences as the twins tried to compose the letter in such a way that Hogwarts would be unable to ignore their request.

Finally, George stuck his head out and called down the hall, "Perce! Need you!"

"Busy!" Percy could be heard calling back.

"Too bad!" Fred responded. "This is for Ginny!"

In a few moments Percy appeared—a splodge of ink on his hands where he must have tipped over the inkwell in his haste to cap it closed. "What's up?" he asked.

"I need to send a letter to Hogwarts and ask them to put me in the boy's dorm," Ginny said, hugging Cloves.

Percy frowned. "Why?"

"Cause he's a boy, Perce, duh." George said.

"Oh." Percy blinked and then shrugged. "All right then. Are you asking Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall?"

"Both?" Fred suggested.

Percy sighed and moved over to the desk, shoving George off the chair in front of the piece of parchment. "I'll write it like Mum's asking," he said.

* * *

The Great Hall was packed with people and food, but Ginny couldn't eat or talk to anyone. He hadn't heard back from Hogwarts after he'd sent the letter Percy had written. Even the presence of Harry Potter opposite him couldn't drag his attention away from the anxiety of what could come in the next few hours. Thankfully, he'd been placed in Gryffindor with all his family—who were currently surrounding him on the benches.

"It'll be okay, Gin," Ron said, bumping his shoulder with his brother's. "You can stay with one of us if they decide to be idiots. I'm sure Harry, Nev, Seamus, and Dean won't mind." Opposite them, Harry nodded in agreement, along with the other three boys mentioned.

"We've got a spare bed in our dorm, Tyler started homeschooling last year and his bed's still there." George said. "You got us, just like always."

The food disappeared and Headmaster Dumbledore stood up to dismiss them. Percy stood up quickly when they were dismissed, laying a reassuring hand on Gin's shoulder before jogging up to Professor McGonagall. Gin watched anxiously as the conversation played out and knew before Percy returned that the professors didn't believe him just like his mother didn't.

"Looks like I'll be using Tyler's bed," he muttered under his breath. Maybe a few weeks ago he would have accepted staying in the girl's dorm anyway but now it was almost unthinkable. He wasn't a girl, therefore he shouldn't stay in a room specifically for girls. That was a _rule_.

Percy arrived then. "She won't listen," he said glumly. "Looks like you'll be sharing with one of us, Gin."

"That'll make a change," Gin said, as cheerfully as he could. "I always wondered if you snore as much as Charlie said you do."

"I do not snore!" Percy exclaimed, exasperated and mock offended. He grabbed Gin around the neck and ruffled his hair. "Now come on, little monster, I have to get you and the others up to the tower."

* * *

They lasted a week before Professor McGonagall called them all to her office and sat them down in front of her. She stared them down for a few moments before sighing and picking up a tin sitting next to her. Opening it, she offered it towards them.

"Biscuit?" she asked. Hesitantly, they all took one. Gin nibbled a corner and then started turning it around in his hands as he waited. "I've been informed that you're not sleeping in your assigned room, Miss Weasley," Professor McGonagall said.

"No, Professor," Gin said quietly. "And it's mister now, actually."

Professor McGonagall ignored the correction and continued. "I understand you may be feeling overwhelmed by everything here at Hogwarts and want some familiarity, but you can't keep sleeping with your brothers. We have rules about where you sleep, and girls do not sleep in boy's dorms."

The biscuit cracked into smaller bits as Gin clenched his fists. "We sent a letter, Professor McGonagall. I'm not a girl."

"Now Miss Weasley, however much you may be a tomboy, you are a girl and you need to stay with your peers, not your brothers."

"Professor, all our dormmates have said that they don't mind having Gin stay with us!" Ron burst out. "He's not a _tomboy_ , he's a _boy_ and I don't know why you can't just assign him a bed in the first-year boy's dorms!"

"Calm down, Mr Weasley," Professor McGonagall ordered. "I appreciate your defence of your sister—"

"He's our _brother_ ," George interrupted. "Why can't you adults understand that?"

"Miss Weasley is not a boy, and she _will_ stay in her assigned room." Professor McGonagall sighed and lowered her voice from the strident authoritative tone she'd taken. "I had hoped to avoid this, but if you all continue to be stubborn, I will place a charm that will deny Miss Weasley access to your dorms."

Gin was torn between bursting out in indignation and curling up on himself and accepting the decision; no one but his brothers believed him anyway. Around him, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron were standing up and arguing against Professor McGonagall's decision. Professor McGonagall stared at them all, unimpressed, and swished her wand to silence them.

"That is my final word on the subject. I'm sorry it had to be this way. Now, off you go. I'll place the charm tonight."

* * *

Professor McGonagall had just returned downstairs from placing the charm that would stop Gin from staying with his brothers and was looming over him with an expectant gaze. Gin sighed internally and threw the idea of sleeping on the couch in the common room away; clearly Professor McGonagall wasn't going to move until she was satisfied he was in his assigned room.

His brothers were all glaring at Professor McGonagall; it made Gin smile. Maybe he could deal with this if he had his brothers behind him.

Thumping down the cushion he had been holding, Gin stood up and stalked over to the staircase that led to the girl's dorms. He'd never gone up them, had never wanted to. He didn't belong up there and the only girl he'd want to visit was in Ravenclaw. He stared up the stairs and cursed his life. Why couldn't he have been like his brothers and born in a male body?

Placing his hand on the banister, he began the journey up the stairs. He heard Professor McGonagall make a sound of approval and gripped the banister tighter as anger surged in him. _Why couldn't they believe him_? _Why_ did he have to deal with this? He _knew_ he wasn't a girl and yet no adult he'd told had taken him seriously.

He was almost halfway up the stairs now and hating every step more and more. All of a sudden, the sturdy footing beneath him slanted and he was sent sliding down to the bottom of the stairs-turned-slide. Staring up at the smooth slide that had just been normal stairs, Gin couldn't help the relieved and partly hysterical laughter that bubbled up. Even the stairs believed him!

"You see, Professor?" he heard Percy say. "Gin doesn't belong up there, he belongs in our dorms."

Professor McGonagall huffed. "The magic is old, it could have made a mistake."

"You try it then," Ron dared. "They haven't turned into a slide for any of the girls that have used them in the past week. The magic's not confused or worn out, it's working perfectly fine."

"And what would you know, Mr Weasley? You are a second year, and only by a week."

"Well clearly Gin can't go up to the girl's dorms, so can you remove the charm so that he has somewhere to sleep tonight?"

"I will be speaking to Headmaster Dumbledore about this," Professor McGonagall said, but relented in taking the charm down. "This is just until we can figure this out, you understand me, Miss Weasley?"

Gin ignored her. The stairs had just proven that he wasn't _Miss_ Weasley and he refused to acknowledge that title anymore. He was _Mr_ Weasley and he had his brothers and magic stairs backing him up. Headmaster Dumbledore wouldn't be able to do anything with the stairs unless he wanted to let any boy up to the girl's dorms and that was unlikely—wizards hated breaking tradition. He didn't need the adults to believe him, he just needed them to accept they couldn't force him where he didn't belong.


End file.
